My First "Buying a Collection" Experience: Start to Finish!
PSARich
Posts: 534 ✭✭✭
I just wrapped up my first effort at buying a collection and then selling it piece by piece in order to recoup my money and end up with some decent cards for my work. The collection ranged from 1948 Leaf to 1979 Topps baseball. I bought it last summer and after many eBay auctions and some sales at the National, I have now sold nearly everything with a few exceptions. I paid $1725 and to this point, after eBay/Paypal fees, I have sold most of the collection for $2275 so I am out of the red. These last four cards that I wanted to keep just got graded by PSA and should arrive this week:
1 1 22545094 VERY GOOD+ 3.5 1948 LEAF 79 JACKIE ROBINSON Card
2 1 22545095 VERY GOOD 3 MC 1953 TOPPS 220 SATCHELL PAIGE Card
3 1 22545096 GOOD 2 1954 TOPPS 128 HENRY AARON Card
4 1 22545097 POOR 1 1953 TOPPS 82 MICKEY MANTLE
In addition to these, I was able to keep the following:
- over 125 1953 and 1954 Topps baseball cards in VG to VG-EX condition
- and cards that I sent in previously for grading that I have kept included:
1954 Ted Williams #250 PSA 4
1953 Jackie Robinson #1 PSA 1
1953 Schoendienst PSA 4.5
1953 Martin #86 PSA 4
1953 Berra #104 PSA 4
1953 Ruzzuto #114 PSA 3.5
1953 Kell #138 PSA 3.5
1958 Mantle #150 PSA 1
Here is my take from all this. It was a very educational experience and I learned plenty about what sells and how to sell it. I sold lots of 1600 baseball from 1971-1974 and did fairly well as they included many HOFers. These were mainly in EX-EX+ condition. I sold many 1953-54 baseball (many had been ripped from a scrapbook and had paper on the back) in lots of 20-30 and they normally went for a little less than $1 each. I sold lots in various numbers from 1957 to 1970 and they all sold but obviously the more recent the year, the less they bring in as 1970 cards went for 3-5 cents each. I sold many HOF cards that were in F-VG condition from the 1950s-60s individually and they brought in a reasonable amount. I sold some nearly complete 1974-1976 Topps sets at the National for about $75-$100 each. They were in NM or better condition but most of the HOF cards had been removed. I did send in a few nice cards from the 1970s for grading and then sold them on eBay and did OK. I still have many hundreds Topps baseball from 1977-79 in NM condition that I have yet to deal with.
I knew at the start that most of the older cards were not in great shape but on the other hand I didn't own a Robinson RC or a 1953 Mantle or a 1954 Williams. So I added all the cards I mentioned above to my collection but it was a great amount of work to get to this point. I would have probably made more money given the time I spent, as a greeter at Walmart. Yet I gleaned an enormous amount of experience and information and I can say I better understand what full time sports card dealers need to do to make a living. I definitely miscalculated the value of some of the collection in terms of what I could sell it for. One interesting note is that I assumed that 1948 Leaf baseball cards, seeing that they were 65 years old would be collectible. I sent in about 15 for grading and cards that came back as PSA 2.5-3 didn't even sell for the cost of grading them on eBay.
I think that if I were to sell everything that I have keep from the collection at this point, I would probably double my initial investment. Many of you can imagine what it might be like for an acquaintance to bring over four Rubber-made tubs of baseball cards and when you open the first tub there are dozens of old plastic pages housing hundreds of 1953 and 1954 Topps cards. Then about the fifth page their pops a 53 Mantle that although off center looked pretty decent (unfortunately the back had paper attached from being glued to and then pulled from a scrapbook). Then a 1954 Aaron and Williams. It was a thrill for me to see these cards that hadn't been touched since the 1970s, even though like many cards from the era, they had been handled a lot.
Like many of you, I have had many friends who have wanted me to take a look at their sports card collection and like many of you I have had to tell them as nice as possible that their cards from the 1980s-90s won't add to their retirement planning. For me that is what was great about this experience as it was a shocker when I first opened the bins and there in front of me were 50-60 year old cards!
1 1 22545094 VERY GOOD+ 3.5 1948 LEAF 79 JACKIE ROBINSON Card
2 1 22545095 VERY GOOD 3 MC 1953 TOPPS 220 SATCHELL PAIGE Card
3 1 22545096 GOOD 2 1954 TOPPS 128 HENRY AARON Card
4 1 22545097 POOR 1 1953 TOPPS 82 MICKEY MANTLE
In addition to these, I was able to keep the following:
- over 125 1953 and 1954 Topps baseball cards in VG to VG-EX condition
- and cards that I sent in previously for grading that I have kept included:
1954 Ted Williams #250 PSA 4
1953 Jackie Robinson #1 PSA 1
1953 Schoendienst PSA 4.5
1953 Martin #86 PSA 4
1953 Berra #104 PSA 4
1953 Ruzzuto #114 PSA 3.5
1953 Kell #138 PSA 3.5
1958 Mantle #150 PSA 1
Here is my take from all this. It was a very educational experience and I learned plenty about what sells and how to sell it. I sold lots of 1600 baseball from 1971-1974 and did fairly well as they included many HOFers. These were mainly in EX-EX+ condition. I sold many 1953-54 baseball (many had been ripped from a scrapbook and had paper on the back) in lots of 20-30 and they normally went for a little less than $1 each. I sold lots in various numbers from 1957 to 1970 and they all sold but obviously the more recent the year, the less they bring in as 1970 cards went for 3-5 cents each. I sold many HOF cards that were in F-VG condition from the 1950s-60s individually and they brought in a reasonable amount. I sold some nearly complete 1974-1976 Topps sets at the National for about $75-$100 each. They were in NM or better condition but most of the HOF cards had been removed. I did send in a few nice cards from the 1970s for grading and then sold them on eBay and did OK. I still have many hundreds Topps baseball from 1977-79 in NM condition that I have yet to deal with.
I knew at the start that most of the older cards were not in great shape but on the other hand I didn't own a Robinson RC or a 1953 Mantle or a 1954 Williams. So I added all the cards I mentioned above to my collection but it was a great amount of work to get to this point. I would have probably made more money given the time I spent, as a greeter at Walmart. Yet I gleaned an enormous amount of experience and information and I can say I better understand what full time sports card dealers need to do to make a living. I definitely miscalculated the value of some of the collection in terms of what I could sell it for. One interesting note is that I assumed that 1948 Leaf baseball cards, seeing that they were 65 years old would be collectible. I sent in about 15 for grading and cards that came back as PSA 2.5-3 didn't even sell for the cost of grading them on eBay.
I think that if I were to sell everything that I have keep from the collection at this point, I would probably double my initial investment. Many of you can imagine what it might be like for an acquaintance to bring over four Rubber-made tubs of baseball cards and when you open the first tub there are dozens of old plastic pages housing hundreds of 1953 and 1954 Topps cards. Then about the fifth page their pops a 53 Mantle that although off center looked pretty decent (unfortunately the back had paper attached from being glued to and then pulled from a scrapbook). Then a 1954 Aaron and Williams. It was a thrill for me to see these cards that hadn't been touched since the 1970s, even though like many cards from the era, they had been handled a lot.
Like many of you, I have had many friends who have wanted me to take a look at their sports card collection and like many of you I have had to tell them as nice as possible that their cards from the 1980s-90s won't add to their retirement planning. For me that is what was great about this experience as it was a shocker when I first opened the bins and there in front of me were 50-60 year old cards!
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Comments
Lou Gehrig Master Set
Non-Registry Collection
Game Used Cards Collection
would be that I'd keep them all.
like you, i'm in the process of breaking down a large accumulation, in fact, i've been chipping away at this one for a couple years, on and off. pre-war stuff all the way up to modern shiny stuff.
i bring this up because i could relate to the effort required to break down and effectively market a large collection, particularly older, very low grade cards. you mentioned the scrapbook cards. i've handled a bunch of those. also discarded quite a few beat-to-heck binders and sticky old notebook pages.
but, the best item i've still got here is the remains of a '53 Topps baseball set, without stars, which was stuffed into 9-slot pages & smells like cigar smoke.
and, oh yeah, every card has a piece of Scotch tape across the top.
it's been a better run than working for Walmart.......but not by much.
i'd jump at a chance like this and thanks to your post know a little more about what would await me
thanks for the great contribution and enjoy your keepers - would love to see the pics!
would you do it again?
collecting RAW Topps baseball cards 1952 Highs to 1972. looking for collector grade (somewhere between psa 4-7 condition). let me know what you have, I'll take it, I want to finish sets, I must have something you can use for trade.
looking for Topps 71-72 hi's-62-53-54-55-59, I have these sets started